Wall panel systems are used today in many residential and industrial settings. Such wall panel systems include panels attached to each other to create a wall covering which may be for aesthetic purposes, functional purposes, or both.
Such wall panel systems may result in a substantially flat, that is, smooth wall or may have indentions or grooves in it so as to create a functional wall such as a slat wall. Slat walls are walls consisting of a plurality of horizontal panel strips separated by slots or grooves. Brackets with hooks or other fasteners fit in the slots for suspending articles from the wall panel system. Typically, the brackets clip into place in the slots and are removable and repositionable.
A common slat wall system is formed of an extruded resin so that the slats and slots are integrally formed as a panel. The panels may have several slots spaced vertically along the panel. Panels are usually attached to walls or studs in a building frame by fasteners such as screws. Typically, these fasteners are visible, which is not desirable.
Mounting of a slat wall system to a wall is also sometimes a concern. Long, multi-slot panels are cumbersome and difficult to position, hold, and fasten to a wall all at the same time.
The present invention is an improvement in wall system construction. The improvement includes multiple parts that are attachable to one another in an easy fashion by using a tongue and groove system which not only assists in the ease of installation of the wall system, but also helps position the various pieces of the wall system both with respect to the structure the wall panel system is being installed upon, but also with respect to one another. The resulting wall system may either be a smooth wall or may include grooves to create a slat wall.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “rightwardly,” “leftwardly,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made, and specifically as the embodiment is oriented in FIG. 1. These terms will also be used with reference to directions which are perceived when the wall system is viewed in a normal upright assembled or disassembled condition. The terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.